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Live, Love, & Eat in Sayulita: Chipotle Maple Spiced Nuts and Egg Nog

By:Karina Shecter

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well, perhaps it does not look a lot like Christmas here in Sayulita with no snow, but Chipotle Maple Spiced Nuts and Egg Nog will definitely make it FEEL a lot like Christmas.

I wanted to share these recipes with you so that you will be able to make them for your Christmas Eve celebration. What perfect timing with only two days to go! You could even pretend that you are sitting in front of the fire and that it is snowing for the ambiance!

CHIPOTLE MAPLE SPICED NUTS

• 3 cups whole roasted unsalted Cashews, Pecans , Almonds, or a combination. I always buy my nuts at the Sayulita Friday Mercado del Pueblo from the lovely couple right at the entrance.

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, such as grapeseed

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

• 2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder

• 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, divided. I used fresh dried and they worked out fine. Oksana from Sana Spices always has nice dried rosemary. You can find her beautiful smiling face at our Sayulita Friday Mercado del Pueblo.

• Kosher salt

METHOD:

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

*Brush a sheet pan generously with vegetable oil or line with parchment paper. I prefer using the parchment paper, as there is no cleanup!

*Add 1 Tablespoon of the rosemary and 2 teaspoons of salt and toss again.

*Spread the nuts in one layer. If you find that there is extra coating, just use enough to ensure that nuts are all lightly coated and discard the extra.

*Roast for 25 minutes or until the nuts are glazed and golden brown.

*Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and a light sprinkle of rosemary

*Toss well and set aside at room temperature. Best to keep them individual so they do not stick together while cooling.

*Taste for seasoning.

*Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. A Ziplock bag works well for storing.

Chipotle Maple Spiced Nuts... Yummm!

EGG NOG

• 4 egg yolks

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 & 1/2 cups whole milk

• 1 & 1/4 cups whipping cream

• 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg; to taste

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. If you have it, I prefer to use a whole vanilla bean sliced along the length so that you can scrape the beans in. Make sure that you also add in the scraped pod!

•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

•1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

•3/4 cup rum or less depending on your personal taste. This is also delicious without the rum!

METHOD:

*In a large bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks until mixture has doubled in volume and is thick and a nice pale color.

*Add the milk, cream, and spices into a saucepan and heat JUST to hot, NOT boiling.

*Temper the egg mixture by slowly dribbling the heated milk into the egg mixture. Best to use a whisk for this. Adding it slowly ensures that your eggs do not begin to cook. That would be a disaster, so add milk slowly

*Add all back into the saucepan and cook until mixture reaches 160 degrees. It should be hot, but not boiling.

*Strain through a fine sieve.

*Add the vanilla and rum and then place it in the fridge to cool completely.

I like to serve the egg nog in a pretty glass with a few ice cubes. This is soo delicious. And with the Spiced Nuts! Oh goodness! You must try these two very Christmasey recipes!

What to share with you in my next column? I am not sure yet, so it will be a surprise!